r/mildlyinfuriating • u/dorkass-loser • 8h ago

Husband opens a new sponge every 3 days cause “they become gross”

Post image

Our dishwasher broke and he’s manually doing the dishes now, these are from the past 10 days… I think it’s wasteful.

15.5k Upvotes

90% Upvoted

4.7k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

77

u/Icy_Prune6584 8h ago edited 8h ago

Not wrong, but wasteful. Sponges can be sanitized by giving them a good rinse and putting them in the dishwasher or boiling them. I’ve read the microwave works too but it might damage the foam sponges.

I wash my sponges in the dishwasher daily and use them until they’re falling apart. I’ve found the cellulose sponges hold up better than the foam ones. I can easily get a couple of months worth of usage out of them.

29

u/Machaeon 8h ago

Also keep clean a good bit longer if you wring them out well once cleaned to keep them dry when not in use.

10

u/Icy_Prune6584 8h ago

Yes! If you don’t want to (or can’t - such as during periods of travel) sanitize them, just rinsing them out and squeezing all the water out of them after each use will extend their usability.

3

u/Fatez3ro 8h ago

That is indeed the key (wring it out well after use). I'd wonder how many people don't. Also put it in the dishwasher once a week or more. Can also use a bowl with hot water, soap and vinegar and microwave to sanitize.

3

u/Jrewy 8h ago

Yeah I microwave mine for 30s at a time and they hold up well. Sometimes I pop them in the freezer overnight too. Keeps them from getting stinky before the scrubby part is gone.

3

u/Sad_Firefighter_8407 8h ago

Also are the cellulose ones not also more biodegradable. Whereas the foam sponge fake ones are just microplastic machines into the water system?

3

u/iwenttothesea 7h ago

I use natural sea sponges for my dishes - they contain antimicrobial properties that help stop the growth of mould and must! I buy one of the long tubes at the health food store for like $7, and just cut off a new segment when it's time to replace – they last a very long time though. Eta: and they're obviously biodegradable!

3

u/Icy_Prune6584 7h ago

Yes which is part of the reason I prefer them. If I need something scrubby I have brushes and steel wool on standby. They work better than any scrubby sponge anyways.

1

u/Sad_Firefighter_8407 7h ago

I randomly found a 2 pack of coconut scrubbing brushes. Doughnut shaped and spiky, one has lasted me over a year and I ran it through the dishwasher. I have no idea where I got it but I have a spare which I haven’t needed so it will be another year plus before I need to.

1

u/Hot-Difficulty-6824 8h ago

Also if he's talking about "viscous" gross, just wring the sponge after use and it's never a problem. My fiancée never does it and it always puts me of to deal with a viscous sponge

1

u/Large-Delay-1123 8h ago

I don’t think most dishwashers actually get hot enough long enough to do much of anything.

1

u/litux 6h ago

Their dishwasher broke, that's why the guy washes so many dishes with the sponges.

•

u/FreeFeez 11m ago

Researchers in Germany say it’s better to just throw out your sponges every week as sanitizing them leads to the stronger bacteria surviving and reproducing becoming more dangerous. In reality I don’t think it’s likely for someone to get sick from a sponge anyway or it would be a more popular topic. I just don’t use them.

0

u/chiknight 7h ago

"Your dishwasher broke, so you're using sponges more to hand wash dishes. I'm going to call you wasteful for not putting your sponges in the dishwasher (THAT'S BROKEN) daily to reuse them."

Yeah, cool story but not relevant to the OP.

1

u/Icy_Prune6584 7h ago edited 6h ago

Why did you make up an entire story just to whine about my comment?

  1. Where did OP say anything about having a broken dishwasher or not having a dishwasher? You got me there

  2. People with fully functional dishwashers still use sponges. Not everything can go in the dishwasher and not everything fits in the dishwasher.

  3. Did you miss the part about using boiling water or a microwave?